With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

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With the coronavirus stats going in the right direction, all of us at C&G Newspapers look forward to resuming publication of the St. Clair Shores Sentinel and Birmingham-Bloomfield Eagle on May 27th. All other C&G newspapers will begin publishing on June 10th (Advertiser-Times on June 24th). In the meantime, continue to find local news on our website and look for us on Facebook and Twitter.

Newly remodeled Edison School features adult transition program

The sensory room at Edison School is among the new features added during the renovations. Other additions include six new classrooms, a gymnasium, conference rooms, a teachers’ lounge, a life skills room, a full-service kitchen, a computer lab and more.

Photo by Deb Jacques

Michelle Krause, the principal of the newly remodeled Edison School, said that the addition of the Edison Career Center will help young adults with emotional impairments transition to independent life in the workforce.

Photo by Deb Jacques

HAZEL PARK/FERNDALE — Edison School, part of Hazel Park Public Schools, recently completed a $12 million remodeling project that expanded its available space by roughly 50%.

The school continues to serve students with emotional impairments in kindergarten through 12th grade, and now also includes the Edison Career Center, which serves emotionally impaired young adults, ages 18-26, as they transition to the work world.

The school, located at 1650 Mapledale St. in Ferndale, features a support staff that includes social workers, psychologists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, and more. Edison School has capacity for 30 elementary school students, 40 middle school students, 40 high school students and 30 adult transition students.

The remodeling took two and a half years to complete, gutting the existing building, which had been largely unchanged since the 1950s, and overhauling the mechanical systems. The additions include six new classrooms — three for K-12 and three for post-high school. Other additions include a new gymnasium, a sensory room, conference rooms, a teachers’ lounge, a life skills room, a kitchen, a computer lab and more. All of the furnishings are new as well.

The Edison Career Center opened this year and serves two types of students with emotional impairments: those who are close to obtaining the required credits for graduation but who are in need of more time, and those who aren’t on a diploma track but who are seeking a certificate of completion — in other words, students who are unable to complete the Michigan Merit Curriculum but who still need job skills training, emotional and behavioral support, social work support, and life skills training.

“This adult transition program is a first of its kind, in that there are no other adult transition programs that are focused on students with emotional impairments,” said Michelle Krause, the principal of Edison School.

She explained that participants in the adult transition program learn requirements for a variety of occupations, as well as how to behave within a workplace environment and the expectations there. The students also learn how to be successfully independent adults, covering topics such as getting a driver’s license, utilizing the public transportation system, setting up bank accounts, paying bills, budgeting, accessing community services and more. Students also form connections with local businesses and potential work sites. The students also learn skills and support systems that aid them in managing relationships, responsibilities and their own emotional well-being.

Amy Kruppe, the superintendent of Hazel Park Public Schools, said that the Edison Career Center at Edison School continues the district’s tradition of being inclusive.

“Hazel Park (Public Schools) has long provided center program services to individuals with disabilities,” Kruppe said. “We continue to be proud of our students, staff and families that we are able to support from across the county. The remodeling of Edison provides a beautiful, safe environment for our students to learn and excel.”